


11:11

by JehBeeEh



Series: Ahead by a Century [38]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Coffee Addict Tony Stark, Fluff and Angst, I am not a doctor, M/M, Mostly fluff though, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Pain Meds are great!, Sick Tony Stark, Worried Steve Rogers, but i tried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22705705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JehBeeEh/pseuds/JehBeeEh
Summary: It was one of those weird things. Ever since he had been little, somehow, at least once a day, he looked at the time and it was 11:11. He knew it was supposed to mean something, something different depending who told you about it. Make a wish; someone is thinking of you; synchronicity; spirits. Whatever belief or coincidence was behind it, Steve didn't really know or care, but a small part of him, every now and then, wanted to believe it held a bit of some mystical magical power. The same that followed shooting stars and all the wishes they carried with them. And despite himself, the night before they were set to head to the hospital, when he was trying to fall asleep and noticed the clock displaying the familiar numbers, he couldn't help but pause and throw out his wish, his hope, into the universe. Please let him be ok, he had thought.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Ahead by a Century [38]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1514069
Comments: 20
Kudos: 179





	11:11

It was one of those weird things. Ever since he had been little, somehow, at least once a day, he looked at the time and it was 11:11. He knew it was supposed to mean something, something different depending who told you about it. Make a wish; someone is thinking of you; synchronicity; spirits. Whatever belief or coincidence was behind it, Steve didn't really know or care, but a small part of him, every now and then, wanted to believe it held a bit of some mystical magical power. The same that followed shooting stars and all the wishes they carried with them. And despite himself, the night before they were set to head to the hospital, when he was trying to fall asleep and noticed the clock displaying the familiar numbers, he couldn't help but pause and throw out his wish, his hope, into the universe. _Please let him be ok_ , he had thought.

He couldn't help but recall that moment, as he held his husband close, way too early on a Friday morning by Tony's standards, swaying around the kitchen as the brunette attempted to wake up.

“I won't be mad if you have coffee, y'know,” Tony mumbled against his shoulder.

“I’m fine. I told you, if you can't have coffee before surgery, I’m not having it either,” Steve replied, hating past-Steve for making such a rash decision.

“You must love me a lot,” Tony answered, tilting his head to kiss under his jaw.

“I love you a whole fucking lot to go without coffee for you, yeah.” Steve chuckled as his husband kept kissing him.

“I don't know if I’d be able to commit to that, even for you,” Tony mused as he settled his head against Steve’s shoulder again.

“I’m seriously questioning past-Steve's motivations for screwing over future-Steve like that. Or is it present-Steve, now?”

“Pretty sure past-Steve got a mind-blowing blowjob as a result of such a chivalrous declaration.”

“Lucky past-Steve,” the blond answered, looking down at his husband fondly. He moved one hand from Tony's hip, to brush out some stray strands of brown hair from his forehead. “I do love you, a whole fucking lot. You know that, right?”

“Of course I do. I feel the same. And will regardless if you have coffee or not,” Tony answered sweetly.

“Not happening. Besides, we have to get ready to leave, Happy's gonna be here soon.” He kept Tony safely in his grip a bit longer, the brunette not in a hurry to move any more than Steve was. He sighed after a while. “We need to go,” Steve finally whispered, Tony humming in agreement. Steve loosened his grip just enough to shift Tony in his arms. He framed his face with his hands bringing their lips together softly. They lingered and took as much time as they could, which would never feel like enough right now, before Steve finally let him go, with a final peck on the tip of his nose, making his husband smile.

“You're the best. Love you.” Tony wove their hands together, squeezing softly.

“Me too. Got all your stuff?” Steve asked as they made their way to the living room, where Tony's bag was propped on the couch.

Tony rifled through the bag, seeming content with what they'd packed, before remembering something. “Oh, just need one more thing,” and he rushed to the basement.

“Hurry up, Happy's outside,” Steve called after him as he grabbed their jackets.

“I’m ready,” Tony announced, dropping the small box on top of his bag. “Couldn’t leave without the actual reason we’re heading there.”

The ride to the hospital was mostly quiet, save for Happy trying to diffuse the obvious nerves by talking hockey with Steve, or asking Tony about work. Steve didn't let go of Tony's hand, feeling an irrational need to touch him as long as he could, to not let him go. When he overheard Tony explaining the new battery tech he had created for the pacemaker he made, Steve squeezed Tony's hand a bit tighter.

“That sounds real neat, boss,” Happy chimed in, professional as always, even though Steve knew he was just as worried as he was about Tony.

“Yeah, it's actually really cool. And, saves me a few surgeries in the process. I’m always down for that,” Tony answered simply.

“You’re sure it won't… hurt you?” Steve asked quietly.

“Well, never say never, but based on JARVIS' testing, it should be absolutely fine now that we fixed that weird poisoning issue…”

“What? You fixed a WHAT NOW?!” Steve tried to reign in his feelings, but how else was he supposed to react. “Tony, you are not putting that thing near your heart!”

“It's fixed, honey, it’s fine! That’s why I get JARVIS to test these things. Plus, he'll be running regular diagnostics and making sure everything is ok. I promise, it is safe. I’m sorry I worried you, sweetie.” He pulled Steve's hand to his lips, as the blond let his head fall backwards on the headrest, closing his eyes.

“I get that this is a big, amazing medical advancement, but… I hate that you’re the human Guinea pig for it.” He turned his head to look at his husband. “You have no idea how proud I am of you, and how much I am scared shitless at the same time.”

“I promise, I wouldn't be doing this to myself if it wasn’t safe.” Tony smiled at him, and the blond forced himself to smile back, as the car came to a stop. “Everything’s going to be ok.” Steve could only nod.

They checked into the cardiology department, Steve trying to concentrate on the last-minute forms they needed to fill out while Tony changed out of his sweats and into the hospital gown the nurse had brought him. Steve was about to ask him a question and looked up just as Tony was bending down to take off his underwear, clearly forgetting the whole back of the gown was open.

“Nice butt,” Steve smirked.

“Tell me something I don't know,” Tony answered without missing a beat, making Steve laugh.

“You know, I’m pretty sure there was nothing in the pre-op papers about no sex before surgery… you have easy access here.” Tony slotted himself between Steve's knees.

“How are you thinking of sex right now,” Steve replied, exasperated. “With my luck your doctor would come in just as-"

“Good morning gentlemen,” Dr. Erskine greeted them, as if summoned, prompting Steve to mouth _told ya_ to his husband. “I trust you are tolerable even without your usual IV of caffeine, Tony?”

“About as much as one can hope,” Tony replied playfully, jumping on the bed in the room as a nurse came in.

“Dr. Cho is getting settled in the electrophysiology lab, she has the pacemaker you brought in, I’ll go over everything one last time with you while Sharon here helps me get your IV prepped.”

Tony nodded, Steve noticing he seemed more nervous now. They listened and answered all the doctor's questions. Made sure they understood the process of the surgery, both of them having memorized the pamphlets and information perfectly. Baring any surprises, it should take no more than a couple of hours. Tony knew to expect the pain meds and light sedative. Dr. Erskine would be in attendance at Tony's special request, and he would alert Steve if there were any issues or complications, he had promised. Sharon made quick work of her prep list, getting the IV in painlessly, but still with no caffeine involved, and making sure Tony's chest was shaved, which he had insisted on doing himself a few days ago, much to Steve's amusement.

“Last thing, I need you to take off your wedding band, and we are ready to go. We’ll give you two a minute,” Dr. Erskine winked at them as he and Sharon left the room.

“Everything's going to be fine. Couple of hours, and I’ll be better than new,” Tony said, squeezing Steve's hand.

“I love you. Try to behave in there, please? Don't make it take longer than it needs to, alright?”

“Can't promise that.” He smirked.

“You’re a menace, anyone ever tell you that?” Steve smiled fondly at him.

“I think you might have a few times. Love you too, Steve.”

The blond leaned down and brought their lips together, the softness from all their interactions the past 24 hours replaced by something a bit more fervent. They didn’t part, even when they heard the door, too engrossed in the feel of the other's lips on theirs, hands on their skin, fingers in their hair. When they finally parted for air, their foreheads staying pressed together, Tony swiped a thumb across Steve's cheek.

“I love you so much, sweetheart,” Tony whispered against Steve's lips. “When they give me the good drugs and I drift off, I’ll dream about you. It's always you, Steve.”

“And you call me a sap.” Steve's smile grew, and he placed one last kiss on Tony's lips. “I love you. I’ll see you in a bit.” He lifted his husband's left hand to his lips, kissing his ring before taking it off, and leaving one last kiss where it had been.

“I promise, I’ll take care of him, Steven,” Dr. Erskine clapped his shoulder as they wheeled him out of the room towards the lab, Tony smiling sweetly at him before blowing him one last kiss.

* * *

Steve woke up with a start. It took him a minute to regain his bearings, remember why he was in a hospital room. He looked around, thanking all the deities for private hospital rooms with comfy couches, as he stretched lazily. He didn't even remember falling asleep or feeling tired. He remembered texting Pepper and Nat, letting them know Tony was in surgery, sitting on the couch, trying to focus on some of his breathing exercises so his mind didn’t wander, and his memory was fuzzy after that. Maybe he needed that coffee more than he realized.

His phone chimed, Natasha informing him she was on her way over. And when she walked in, handing him a cup of coffee, he promptly declared she had taken over as bestest friend he ever had, Bucky be damned.

“If I knew that’s all it would take, I'd've done it much sooner,” she replied seriously. “I'm assuming no news is good news right now?”

“I guess?” Steve answered after taking a long sip of his coffee, unsure about his reply. “I fell asleep… I’m assuming if something bad was going on they would have woken me?”

“I’m sure everything's fine. It's only been an hour and half or so, right? Still plenty of time.”

Steve nodded, clutching the paper cup in both hands.

“It's ridiculous being this worried, right? This is day surgery, this is routine, for fuck's sake, and here I am acting like he's dying and… please tell me I’m being ridiculous!”

“I’m not gonna lie to you, Steve. You are entitled to feel the way you feel. It's ok to be worried. You love him. Plus, he had to go and be Tony and complicate things by building his own pacemaker. I’d be killing James if he tried to pull something like that, personally. No one thinks less of you because you love Tony and worry about him.”

“Thanks. It feels like I worry too much…”

“You don't. That’s what happens when you find your person Steve.” She smiled at him, making him relax a bit.

They chatted for a while longer, the distraction helping Steve. When Natasha informed him she had to leave, Steve finally noticed it was almost 11am. How had it taken almost 3 hours? He escorted Nat to the elevator, thanking her for the coffee, and stopped at the check in desk on his way back to Tony's room.

“Hi, I’m so sorry, but would you happen to know why it has taken longer for my husband's surgery? He should have been out by now…”

The nurse looked through the computer quickly and frowned. “I’m sorry Mr. Stark-Rogers, I have nothing here indicating why it would be. I can have someone check in for you?”

“No, that’s ok. Was just curious. Thank you,” Steve smiled before walking back to the room, repeating to himself that someone would have come and told him if something went wrong.

He texted Pepper when he got back to the room, so she didn’t worry. He let Rhodey know Tony wasn't out yet, but he would keep him in the loop as soon as he could. He checked his emails, social media, random news headlines… anything to distract himself. He threw his phone next to him, and dropped his face in his hands, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. In hindsight, he really had not slept great this week.

“He's fine, it’s just taking a bit longer, but he is fine,” Steve told himself out loud. He twisted Tony's ring around his pinky, repeating over and over that all was ok.

He grabbed his phone to look at the time again, and there were those straight lines again, four of them in a row. _This is ridiculous_ , he thought, and yet, he still found himself clutching his phone between his palms, repeating _please_ over and over. When he opened his eyes a minute later, Dr. Erskine was walking into the room with an expression Steve couldn't make out.

“Your husband is exasperating, Steven,” he told him, making Steve laugh softly, a smile breaking out on his lips.

“That definitely sounds like my husband, yes,” Steve replied.

“I came earlier, to warn you the surgery started almost an hour late, but I did not want to wake you. Tony took an hour to explain to poor Dr. Cho the technology behind the device he built. And make sure she knew how to insert it.”

“Please tell me she didn’t electrocute him?” Steve asked, only slightly joking.

“She was lovely and patient with him, he’s fine, don’t worry. They should be bringing him back any minute. He's going to be absolutely fine, Steven. Everything went perfectly.”

Steve closed his eyes and let out a loud sigh, like hearing the doctor say the words out loud was all he needed to finally believe it.

“Thank you, doctor. For everything.”

“It is my pleasure, truly.”

They were interrupted by the team wheeling Tony back to the room, the brunette looking groggy, but awake. Steve waited for people to clear out before bringing a chair closer to the bed and sitting with his husband. When Tony turned to look at him, his brown eyes landing on his blue ones, Steve couldn’t help the sweet, loving smile that he had no doubt graced his face. He laced his fingers with Tony's gently, careful not to hurt him, but needing to touch him and feel his warm skin against his.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he all but cooed at his husband. “How are you feeling?”

“Wow…” Tony loudly whispered, Steve trying to suppress a laugh.

“What is it?”

“The doc told me my husband was hot, but damn… you are something else. No wonder my heart could barely take it.” Tony slurred out.

Steve cocked his head in confusion as he looked at Dr. Erskine, who just rolled his eyes. “Baby, what are you talking about?” Steve asked with a chuckle.

“Think I lost my memory during surgery, cause I totally don’t remember you, Stevie. Nope…” Tony bit his lower lip once he was done, trying to look serious, but only looking more adorable in the process.

“Uh-huh, I think it is more like, you are high on pain meds,” Steve looked up at Dr. Erskine, who was connecting a machine to some electrodes he was just noticing on Tony's chest. The doctor nodded slightly at the blond.

“You caught me, damn it! You are so smart. Hot AND smart. How did I luck out?!” Tony exclaimed tiredly.

“He needed a bit more pain medication than we thought, and we now have this... We will just let him sleep some of it off before we do the x-ray and get him ready to head out. Might take a few more hours than anticipated.” Dr. Erskine gathered his things and headed for the door, giving them a bit of space.

“We have nowhere else to be, it's fine doctor,” Steve told him as he left. He turned back to his husband and ran his free hand through Tony's hair, the brunette purring under the touch, making Steve chuckle.

“We have dinner reservations tonight, can’t miss ‘em.” Tony answered sleepily.

“What are you talking about? We have no plans today, sweetheart.”

“ ‘course we do. Iss Valentine's Day!”

And he was right, it was February 14. But they hadn’t made plans, not that Steve knew anyways.

“Tony, we aren't going out tonight. Priority one right now is getting you all better. Not some silly holiday.”

“But iss our first one…” sad brown eyes looked up at him, and Steve's heart broke.

“I love that you want to do something special, I really do, but I got the best Valentine's now that your heart is beating properly again. What better thing can a guy ask for on a holiday all about hearts and love?” He smirked at his husband.

“You’re cute. That mean I don't get a present?”

“ _You’re_ cute when you’re acting all petulant. And don’t worry, I have something for you. We didn't really go anywhere when we got married, and, I think we could both use a vacation. Once you get the all clear in a few weeks hopefully, how about we go and take that honeymoon? Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll plan the whole thing. Beach. Europe. Ireland. Get a cozy cabin somewhere in Canada. You name it.”

“Sounds great,” Tony smiled at him before yawning.

“How about you rest up a bit so we can get you home?” Steve stood so he could kiss Tony, happier than ever for their lips to meet. 

“Mmmm…. Kiss me ‘gain,” Tony mumbled when Steve had let him go.

“Can't get enough of me, huh?” Steve pecked him on the nose.

“You taste like coffee,” Tony admitted, making Steve laugh that great head thrown back, chest clapping, sincere laugh Tony loved.

“You're a menace,” Steve said when he finally recovered.

“Mighta heard that before. Now, kiss me ‘gain.”

And Steve obliged.

**Author's Note:**

> See? Promised they'd be fine! It even turned out much fluffier than I expected :) Was going to wait and post it tomorrow, but Hubby and I have plans - cause these two saps picked Valentine's Day as their wedding day ;) Brooklyn 9-9 binge here we come!
> 
> Anywho, hope you liked it, hope you have a lovely love day, and hopefully I can be back soon with another update :D
> 
> And, if you are so inclined, here is my [Tumblr](https://jehbeeeh.tumblr.com/). There is a cute little College Stony fic I may have posted on there, that I think is adorable. <3


End file.
